


Land of Halls and Vents

by ComplimentaryCuller



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gamzee Makara (sober) mention, Language (Karkat Vantas), M/M, Meteor, Minor Mentions of Violence, Retcon Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 09:37:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11228271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComplimentaryCuller/pseuds/ComplimentaryCuller
Summary: The meteor is harsh and unforgiving, but they make a home in spite of it all.





	Land of Halls and Vents

Dave had been wandering around the meteor when he heard soft crying behind one of the meteor doors. Worried, he knocked on the door.  
“Hey, I’m going to come in, ok?” He heard loud sniffing.  
“No, Dave, don’t. I’m fine, I promise. I just need some time,” he heard his boyfriendsprit croak from inside. Decision made for him, he opened the door, eyes alighting on Karkat, huddled in a mass of blankets wedged in the corner of a tank and the wall… next to an open vent. Vriska and Terezi had given up searching for the murderclown, assuming he wasn’t up to anything, fridge ready and waiting, but Kanaya was still on edge. Personally, he couldn’t blame her, but he had more important things to deal with now. Karkat was swamped in blankets, only his fluffy mass of hair and a pair of dark shades perched on his nose. Huh. So that’s where they had gone. Dave wasn’t too hung up about it. He was less self-conscious now, and he knew Karkat would take good care of them. Dave dropped to his knees in front of him, and rested his hand on something vaguely shoulder shaped.  
“Hey, what’s up, babe?” Karkat looked away, eyes pinched.  
“It’s nothing. I’m fine, ok?” Dave ruffled his hair, pressing a kiss to his nose before reaching for his shades, planning to wipe his tears. Karkat jerked back, eyes wide.  
“I’m fine, ok, just. Just leave them on, ok?” Dave rubbed the arm revealed by his backward motion soothingly.  
“What is it, Kat? Did your eyes, you know, start showing? I can get Terezi and Vriska off your case if you want.” Karkat winced.  
“No, not yet, just. Don’t, ok?” Dave nodded, wanting to make him comfortable. Karkat leaned forward into his arms, where Dave just held him a moment, a mirror of their jams about their fucked up planets. He tilted his head up, about to ask for a kiss, when the shades slipped, revealing bruised and cut flesh.  
“Karkat,” he breathed, shocked, horrified, angry. “Who did this to you?” Karkat drew back, the shades slipping into the blankets, revealing his black eye and cut up face.  
“Dave, no, it’s not what you think, he was out of his pan, I had to help him, Dave-" Dave’s mouth was hanging open.  
“The clown did this? Gog, Karkat, what happened? Kanaya was right, we should have put him back in that shitty fridge, what did he do?” Karkat was huddled into himself.  
“He came out of the vents, we’ve been. He’s always been pale on me, and now he needs me and now I just- I just thought maybe we could talk about what we were doing and I told him about you and. He’s never liked sharing, has he?” He was laugh-crying by the end, tears on his face, breathy little chuckles filled with pain. “I’m, I’m not going to just, just leave you, not by half, you’re so good to me Dave, but he was so angry, told me that I’m the one who always warned people off quadrant smearing, and, and. Oh Gog Dave, I don’t know what to do, I just don’t.” He stared pleadingly at him, dripping red tears and snot, nails biting into his arms. Dave pulled him into a hug, shooshing him slightly. He was close to tears himself, but refused to make the troll boy in arms feel worse because of it. Kissing his nose softly, he lifted Karkat’s face to his own.  
“I am never, ever, going to let him do this to you again, you hear? You do your palerom thing with him, but only if it’s what you want, ok? You don’t have to go into this for his sake alone. You deserve better than that Karkat, no matter what your shitty clown friend or long dead society is telling you. I’ll protect you.” Karkat sobbed as Dave held him gently. Hearing a faint scraping noise above him, he saw the glint of a purple eye in the grate above him, before it was gone. Narrowing his eyes, Dave focused his attention on the boy in his arms. His boyfriendsprit needed him.


End file.
